HAYGAIN HGP713 Slow Feeder User Manual

: June 5, 2024
: HAYGAIN

Table of Contents

HAYGAIN HGP713 Slow Feeder
Getting Started
Where to Set Up
Building The Haygain® Forager
How to Load The Forager
Introducing the Forager to Your Horse
Maintenance
Frequently Asked Questions
Warranty
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

HAYGAIN HGP713 Slow Feeder

HAYGAIN-HGP713-Slow-Feeder-
product

Getting Started

The Haygain® Forager has been designed to simulate a horse’s natural, slow and steady eating behavior. The design ensures only small, bite-sized, portions of forage can be taken at one time and this has a number of physical and mental health benefits for horses that are stabled for long periods of time.

Unpacking your Haygain® Forager
Check you have all of the following parts. If you do not have a part, contact your supplier within 7 working days of delivery.

1 base and base cap
4 side panel walls
1 metal ring
1 top ring containing 4 green rubber wedges
1 Easy (white) regulator grid
1 Standard (green) regulator grid
This User manual

Where to Set Up

For use in the stable, we advise that The Forager is placed in the corner. Some horses are fine to leave The Forager as a stand-alone feeder, others will need to be deterred from moving it by placing sand in the base to weigh it down as described in the “Building your forager section of this manual”. The Forager can be fixed to the wall using the openings in the top ring. The Forager can also be used outside or taken with you to shows. You can flat pack it for ease of moving it around, packing it for shows or storing it away.

Building The Haygain® Forager

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fig-2

Remove the cap from the base and fill with 20kg/44lbs of kiln-dried sand (optional). Firmly push the cap back into the base so that it is secure, you should hear a click.
Fitting the side walls – insert one at a time, angle the wall at 45 degrees, and slot into the hole, repeat with all 4 sidewalls.
Place a metal ring around the outside of the sidewalls and carefully drop it down to the base of the walls.
On arrival, the 4 rubber wedges will be inside the top ring. Pull each wedge down as indicated by the arrow on the right of each wedge so they are dangling down. Be careful not to detach fully, this creates space in the top ring to enable the next step.
Securing the top ring:
- Step 1: Line up the 4 wedges of the top ring with the middle of the 4 walls.
- Step 2: Squeeze the inner flaps located on the underside of the top ring in diagonal pairs and push down which will release the flaps.
Mount the 4 wedges – each wedge should click into place becoming completely flush with the top ring.
Fill the unit with hay or haylage ensuring that the forage is very well shaken out and not too compact in the unit.
To insert the regulator place both hands in the mid part of the regulator and bend slotting the arms of the clips through the gap in the sidewalls carefully.
- Start with the arm furthest away from you (12 o’clock) and continue to insert the regulator arms in a clockwise direction.
Firmly push each clip down onto the metal ring until you hear and see it click into place securely on the metal ring.
- Feel for a ‘click’ to ensure the clip is locked snugly onto the metal ring.
- Secure the unit to the wall – (optional) Secure in the corner of the stable with enough room to get your hand around to unclip the regulator.
Removing the Regulator: Unclip each regulator arm from the metal ring. Be careful with the last attached arm – hold the metal ring and slowly slide it to the bottom of The Forager walls.
- Then bend each regulator arm upwards and back, freeing them from the slats in The Forager Walls.
- Once all arms are free, remove the regulator from The Forager

Follow along with our video tutorial

Viewable on YouTube at: bit.ly/ForagerInstructions

How to Load The Forager

The Forager is versatile, any of the regulator and unit setups can be used at any time depending on the horse, time of year, and current forage supply. For example, depending on the grass and work levels, the same horse could:

Use the Easy (white) regulator with some loose forage on top in the winter.
Use the Standard (green) regulator in the summer.

Many factors affect how much the horse is slowed down by The Forager:

Type of forage
Length of forage
How the forage is packed
How motivated by food the horse is
How long the horse has been using a Forager. A 7-day adaptation period observed during research shows they get quicker.

The regulators are expected to wear over time and will need replacing. They are available in packs of 2. How often they are replaced will depend on the amount of use and force applied by the horse. Any type of long-stemmed forage from any size of the bale can be used; dry hay or hay which has been soaked, or steamed or haylage can all be used.

Capacity up to approx. 12kg / 26lbs
When loading The Forager please ensure the forage is WELL SHAKEN OUT, this is especially important when feeding big bale hay or haylage with more compacted slices. If the hay Is too compacted your horse may find it difficult to pull it through the holes.

Unclip the regulator from the metal ring and remove it from The Forager. You can either pull straight up or take one arm out at a time.
Fill The Forager, and shake out the forage while loading it ensuring there are no clumps of hay.
Insert the regulator into The Forager, one arm at a time, raise the metal ring up and clip the regulator on, and push down hard until you hear it click onto the ring in all 4 places.
Check the top ring is secure and that all green wedges are in place.

Introducing the Forager to Your Horse

When introducing The Forager to your horse you have a number of options that allow you to tailor the product to your individual horse. 2 types of regulators are supplied:

Easy (white)
Standard (green)

It is important that you get the balance right for your horse and in order to do so we recommend:

Start without any regulator allowing them to acclimatize to the product in their stable for a few days.
Once comfortable eating from The Forager introduce the Easy (white) regulator, we suggest you fill The Forager halfway then place the regulator with some loose forage on the top. Set up like this your horse has easy access to forage initially and then has to learn to pull the hay through the regulator with the second half of the ration.
After a few days fill to the top, place the regulator and pull some forage through the holes to make it easier for your horse to get going.
After 7 days your horse should be feeding well.
If your horse is finding the Easy (white) regulator too easy then exchange it for the Standard (green) regulator.

Maintenance

We recommend cleaning out the unit daily, removing any uneaten hay debris from the bottom after each use by hand or with a hand-held brush clearing the base and any bits between the side walls. Keeping your unit clean will encourage your horse to always eat up and prevent a build-up of old hay. A hose can be used to power wash, the unit as a whole – the base has indents to allow water to easily flow out at the bottom, or for a deeper clean you can take apart and wash each component separately and then rebuild.

Frequently Asked Questions

PROBLEM

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SOLUTION

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Refusal to eat| Remove the grid for a day to help establish if it is the forage quality causing the issue of it they are struggling with the regulator itself.

If they are eating up the forage well without the regulator then try re- introducing the Easy (white) regulator filled half- way with loose on top.

Leaving last part of hay| Check that the hay has been shaken out properly. Check the quality of the hay at the base, if it has been left for a few days it is likely dusty and unpalatable. If this is not cleaned- out then it can build up.
Acclimatisation| Your horse should have acclimatised within the first 7-10 days. Ensure that you introduce the grid slowly if your horse is particularly sensitive to change.
Dismantled Unit| If you find your unit has come apart please check the top ring has been secured, with all 4 wedges clicked into place.
Grid is removed by horse| Check that the grid is clipped onto the ring properly all the way around each time it is filled – you should feel a click as it connects to metal ring.
How full should it be?| Ensure that the hay is well shaken and not too tightly packed, if it is compacted under the regulator it will be hard for your horse to eat. We recommend putting some loose hay on the top to increase your hay ration.
Regulator not clipping on

to metal ring.

| Check there is no hay in between the clip and the metal ring. Try pushing down on the regulator towards the centre to help it click onto the metal ring.

PROBLEM

|

SOLUTION

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Types of Forage| As there are many types of forage, which vary in stem length and density, this can have an effect on how much the horse is slowed down when using The Forager.

Horse is able to move The Forager around the stable

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You can fill the base of The Forager with kiln dried sand and attached The Forager to the wall using one of the openings on the green lid. See pages 6 & 8.

Please note we do not advise substituting sand for water as freezing temperatures could result in damage to the base part.

Wedge Removed

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Push back into position when you next load The Forager.

Wedge Lost

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The Forager can function without a wedge(s) but these fully secure the top ring and we advise they are replaced. Please contact us to purchase wedge replacements.

Warranty

Your Haygain® Forager comes with a 1-year warranty. The warranty covers the replacement of your Haygain® Forager or a part of it. The regulators are considered consumable and therefore not included in the warranty. All replacements are at the discretion of Haygain® For more information about the warranty, contact us.

Terms of the warranty

The warranty is effective from the date of delivery.
Before Haygain® replaces your Forager under warranty, you must provide proof of purchase.
If a part for your Haygain® Forager is no longer available, Haygain® will replace it with a similar functional part.
Any replacement or exchange of your Haygain® Forager under warranty does not extend the warranty period.

Exceptions to the warranty

The warranty does not cover the following conditions: